Crossroads

Hello friends!

You may have noticed my blog became unusually silent over the last week or so. I decided to take time off from blogging to focus on some things in my personal life. I will be back in May but in the meantime we can stay in touch via Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter!

Have a beautiful month of April!

Amanda

A beautiful weekend

Sunshine in Seattle???

Yes! It's true! We have enjoyed a few days of glorious sunshine recently here in Seattle. It started Friday, when I captured this magical shot of the Puget Sound from one of the Seattle ferries.

My #1 love

For the first time in forever, I stood at the front of the ferry boat and let the wind mess up my hair while I enjoyed the sun in my face and the wonderful smell of the water. There's really nothing like it. Ferry boats and that fresh sea water smell were two things I missed most when I lived landlocked in California. I don't think you'll ever be able to get me away from it again.

On Saturday, my mom hosted a Mary Kay party with Independent Senior Sales Director Colleen Russell. She and my mom were in the same grade at school growing up. A handful of my mom's friends, along with one of their daughters and one of my sisters, participated in the party.

Pink lips!

The very pink lip color I wore

Normally, I go with a neutral or reddish lip color. Colleen encouraged me to try the pink pagoda lip lacquer and I really liked it! Very fresh and colorful for a great spring look.

I had so much fun with Colleen and the other ladies that I hope to host my own party soon.

Enjoy the sun!

Introducing: Sneaker Wedges!

Who cares if they're going out of style?

Rumor has it wedge sneakers are going out of style. I heard it from a blogger who went to the recent New York Fashion Week. But I'm known for being a little late to the party so allow me to introduce my current favorite fad: Sneaker Wedges!

Ladies: Are you are short like me? Do you love wearing heels but wish you had a shoe that could give you a boost and go with blue jeans for your tech job? Get some sneaker wedges.

Shoes by Soda, purchased at Buffalo Exchange

The ones I purchased can be tracked down through the Soda website here. They look like high top sneakers but have a wedge hidden inside the heel of the shoe to add an inch or two. With these shoes, I am a grand 5 foot 3 inches tall!

In the sunshine with Tucker

I found the shoes at Buffalo Exchange in Ballard this weekend after a lovely lunch date with my friend Gabrielle. We were buddies in college and it's great to reconnect!

I was so excited to hear about her newest project: A dance collective right here in Seattle!

Called Relay Dance Collective, the group was founded last year by five dancers, including Gabrielle, for the purpose of collaboration, personal expression and [my favorite]  social benefit.

They are holding a fundraiser next month to provide dance scholarships for students at Dance Fremont and also have a Kickstarter page to go toward their efforts.

I'll be going to the fundraiser (details here) and can't wait to enjoy the performances, food and drink, not to mention the excitement of a raffle and silent auction!

The sun came out yesterday and I took advantage by wearing lots of bright colored clothes and purple sunglasses that were my sister's before she decided to give them to Goodwill and I intercepted the bag of giveaways. A coworker today told me that when they saw me out of the corner of their eye they wondered who brought their kid to work, so I guess this ensemble makes me look younger!

Thanks for the sunglasses, sissy poo!

Sitting on a curb, because why not?

T-shirt by American Eagle from Buffalo Exchange. Jeans by American Eagle (also were my sister's)..

I seem to be into controversial shoes lately. The Steve Madden wedges got mixed reviews on Friday and the Instagram photo I posted of the sneaker wedges also received mixed reviews. Let me know what you think!

Friday Favorites!

Finding freebies

As you know, I'm a big fan of samples and other things that are free. This last week I got a package from P&G Everyday containing samples of laundry detergent, fabric softener and toothpaste among other things. Create a free account with P&G Everyday to request your own box of samples every quarter! I also got a Eucerin lotion sample from Target Samples. Another great place to find freebies and samples is Cuckoo for Coupons. She updates her list every Friday.

This next item wasn't free but it was quite inexpensive. I discovered the store Marshalls, which is like a high-end Ross, in Bellevue last Saturday. They have a great selection of designer items at discounted prices. I don't know about you, but I don't care too much if something is "last season" or not as long as it's still reasonably fashionable and I will wear it.

So, check out my awesome Steve Madden wedges. I think I'm in love. I walked around in them for several minutes just to be sure they wouldn't hurt because I swore I wouldn't buy painful shoes anymore. The coolest thing about these shoes is how tall I am when I wear them. Probably close to 5'6. Practically super model tall! ;-)

My final favorite thing of the week is this pair of earrings I found on clearance at Target. So pretty, nickel free and less than $3. My favorite kind of earrings!

 

A different look

Kind of country

Today's outfit is brought to you by a very tired Amanda, who picked it out last night before collapsing in bed for another night of oft-interrupted sleep. (OK, whine over)

The flannel top was a hand-me-up from my younger sister a couple years ago. It's very soft, warm, my favorite color, and has pretty pearlescent snaps. Underneath is the off-white lace dress I bought at Target for full price because I knew I could wear it so many different ways, which I have! See here and here. To keep my legs warm I have my flannel-lined leggings from Ross that I will be retiring soon. They are pretty stretched out and fuzz-covered; But for only $4.99ish (I think), I've gotten my money's worth out of them. The boots are Cougar by Storm and one of my favorite pairs as I'm sure you know because you've seen me wear them so many times before.

Here it is:

Kind of farmer-meets-teatime???

Also, I'm trying to redesign my blog to a simpler and easier to navigate layout so please stick with me as it changes over the next week. :-)

Check back tomorrow for Friday Favorites!

Linking up!

Introducing Ittie Bittie!

I'm very excited to share the following blog, which is written by a good friend of mine! You may recognize Nicole from a photo and a mention or two in my posts. We met in high school and I've always admired her classy sense of style. I love going shopping with Nicole and it's pretty common for me to send her pictures of things when I'm shopping alone, just to get her opinion! She's no doubt saved me from several regrettable purchases.

Find her blog here and show her some love!

-A

In which I try to relax and fail miserably

Remember my goals?

Three girls in white (I'm in the middle) without a care in the world!

They were supposedly incredibly attainable. Read about them here: Incredibly Attainable Goals for 2013

Last night, I tried to relax using techniques someone suggested to me recently.

I was all ready for bed and was lying down with my eyes closed. I pictured a place that has good, peaceful memories. For me, it is a swing tied to a tree at my parent's lake. Growing up, it was the place I went to play, think, cry, get angry and kick trees, whittle sticks, etc.

So anyway, I'm lying in bed picturing myself swinging on the swing. I feel the roughness of the ropes in my hands and the wind in my hair, I hear the creak of the tree as I sway back and forth, I see the sun shining through the trees and I smell the fresh air. I breathe deeply.

OK, so far so good. What else? My dog. I love my dog. He can come, too. He enters my relaxation vision and I picture him wandering around, smelling things and peeing on all the trees while I swing.

But then, oh no! He wandered away through the fence to the cow pasture. There's a cow and he is bothering it. Wait, it isn't just a cow it's a bull. And it's getting mad. I know I have to get him away from it before he is trampled.

I jump off the swing, climb over the metal gate and rush to grab Tucker as the bull starts to stamp his feet and swing his horns. I throw Tucker toward the barbed-wire fence and he slides underneath the lowest string of wire without a problem. I run toward the fence and prepare to do the same.

The bull is chasing me as I prepare to drop and slither under the barbed wire. I did it as a kid a hundred times. I haven't grown since I was 14 so I should still be able to do it now, right? Wrong.

My long hair gets tangled in the barbed wire as I try to hustle underneath it to safety. The bull gets closer and closer and...

**GAME OVER**

I lose. Better luck next time.

Friday Favorites!

My favorite tops from the last week

Now that I'm shopping again, of course I have some great finds to share with you all! Here are my favorite tops worn this week.

The first ensemble is quite the collection. I decided to try mixing prints after reading this blog post on Fashion Confection. So here is a solid white tank layered with a lace leopard print tank, topped off with a red flannel shirt and a solid black cardigan. What do you think? I tend to be pretty matchy-matchy so this was a different look for me! 

Necklace: Maurices. White tank: Target. Leopard tank: Guess. Red shirt: Swain's. Black cardigan: Gottschalks.

Next is a teal colored ruffled tank I got at Value Village for $3.99. It's by Ann Taylor and in excellent condition. The fabric is soft and stretchy.

Thrifted Ann Taylor tank via Value Village

Finally, this very cute floral printed top by Candie's. I found it on the clearance rack at Kohl's for $6. Score! I can't wait to wear this all year round!

Tank: Candie's.

Enjoy the sunshine this weekend, Seattle!

Seeing spots at Green Lake

All kinds of exploration!

My shopping moratorium ended March 1 and the next day I went to Target and set myself free in the clothing section. I walked through the aisles of clothing, hands outstretched feeling the fabric brushing against my finger tips. Colors! So many colors! And textures and patterns and so many polka dots! It must be approaching spring time. :-)

You may noticed I bolded, underlined and italicized that phrase. It's because polka dots are my new favorite thing and I'm having a hard time reigning in my excitement at how in style they are right now.

This is an outfit I put together to go to Green Lake on Sunday with one of my oldest and dearest friends. She lives not far from there and we spent the afternoon walking around the lake, getting coffee and frozen yogurt, and talking about everything just like we've been doing since we were little girls walking around Carrie Blake Park in our hometown. Love you, Jo. :-)

Polka dots and red leather!

Glorious sunshine breaking through the clouds at Green Lake

The sun starting to set on the Seattle skyline

Jacket: Zara, purchased second hand. Polka-dot tank: Target (new!). Jeans: American Eagle thrifted from Value Village

Surprise picture

I love the length of the tank top paired with the jacket

Red lips, red jacket

Trying out a faux-hawk inspired ponytail. A little sloppy but it's totally different from my normal look. Earrings: Maurices

Both the makeup and hair are very different looks for me. I went with gold eyeshadow, no eyeliner and red lipstick. The hair is basically tons of backcombing and teasing on top, slicked back on the sides and secured in a ponytail with a regular hairband.

Exploring new looks and Green Lake was lots of fun this weekend and I look forward to doing it again next weekend when I meet up with Jessica from Jump Into Puddles in Queen Anne!

Friday Favorites!

Empties, a new old outfit and a dog mustache

During February, while I was under a self-imposed shopping moratorium, I used up many different beauty products.

All gone!

The first to go was my Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream. I really like the level of coverage it provides as well as the moisturizing and smoothing effects. I will definitely buy it again.
Next to go was the Scentsy perfume solid. I LOVED the smell of it (My Wish) and got lots of compliments on it. If I'm ever invited to another Scentsy party, I would order it again. However, I'm a creature of convenience so unless that happens, I probably won't get around to it.
Then was the Cover Girl Clean makeup remover for eyes and lips. I didn't really like it. It didn't work very well and my eyes felt crusty the next morning. So when that ran out I turned to regular ol' Baby Oil. It worked great and I now use it on my entire face every night to remove my makeup before washing with a mild soap.
The Clinique Moisture Surge gel-creme in travel size was part of a free gift with purchase a while back. I used it at night mostly or during the day when dry spots occurred. It felt great and even the next morning still continued to feel smooth and hydrated. It's expensive though! $37 for 1.7 oz. I may not buy it on it's own for that reason; but if you have the money it's worth it!
Beyond the Zone Get'n Creamed hair smoothing cream was the last to go. It's the best smoothing cream I've ever owned and made my hair incredibly soft. Unfortunately, it has been discontinued so I can't get more. :-(

Horrible photos of a fabulous outfit

I know those pictures are terrible, but I really liked this outfit! It was my favorite outfit of the week, made up of things I've owned for quite some time. The top is from a general store in my hometown (2010), the skirt is F21 (2012), leggings from Ross (2012) and boots from Payless (2008). The belt came on a shirt I bought at JcPenny in 2011 and the locket is from an estate sale from last summer. It was fun to mix together a "new" outfit with older items!

The Mustache Pup

We have Tucker a haircut. I started it on Wednesday but didn't have time to finish. Tim finished the haircut on Thursday and I was surprised to see he left Tucker's mustache full-sized! I think Tuck looks pretty adorable with his under bite and mustache; but I think that's how most people feel about their funny-looking fur babies. ;-)

I'm hoping to get some time and photo help this weekend so I can share an outfit post with you all next week.

Hope you all have a great weekend!